…The Ghost In The Wires…

/Warning/: This Chapter contains: cursing, angst, sadness, crying, maybe a little bit of violence, and stressed Steve! And who knows what! All reviews are appreciated.

P.S: This is a canon-divergent story that takes place in the MCU timeline to an extent but with major changes, such as the events of Iron Man (The first movie and forward) not taking a place; let's not forget the most important one, though, Dark Tony! I hope you enjoy ^-^v.

"Character talking"

"Character thinking"

…Flashbacks…

Chapter 2

Suddenly, the lights turned on...

.

…

.

Fear and anger… were the only two emotions that took hold of Steve as he all but pulled the man in his arms close to his chest, trying to shield him from the horror that they no doubt were going to face, now that Hydra no doubt realized that Steve was in on them. Mr. Stark flinched, and a terrified whine left his throat, causing all the protective instincts that Steve felt to increase ten times what he was feeling, as he all but hide the man away; face pulled into a snarl as his body coiled, preparing to fight and break the bones of whoever going to dare to sit a foot inside the workshop.

"G-g-g-g-g… a-a-a-a-a… Y-y-y-you a-are… n-n-n-n-not authorized…"

Steve's eyes wildly darted around, trying to find where that metallic voice was coming from, his body trying to Shield Mr. Stark even as the man started to squirm, trying to pull away from Steve's grip, his eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped as he looked at the ceiling. The voice continued to resonate in the workshop, broken and statically before it vanished, and a shrill sound was heard, causing Steve to cry out in pain, his ears ringing like they were about to explode; it was a few seconds before the noise disappeared, but Steve's ears continued to ring for a few minutes after.

"Greeting…"

Steve heard after a few seconds had passed and he seemed to regain his ability to hear without feeling like he was about to go deaf; unconsciously Steve's hand went to touch one of his ears, fearing that he was bleeding, only to feel relieved when he didn't feel any blood… in his distraction, Mr. Stark managed to shimmy out of his grip and started to call out the name 'Jarvis' under his breath, causing Steve to still when he remembered the man all but sobbed that name when the two first met.

"I apologize, but you have no authorization to be on this floor, so I will ask you to kindly escort yourself out…"

The voice spoke once more, sounding more and more human as the seconds passed, losing the edge of the metallic tone it started with and sounding more like a British man than a voice coming out of nowhere; before Steve snapped something along the line of not following the orders of Hydra scum, Mr. Stark ran and all but slammed himself face first into what looked like a full body length mirror on one side of the room and started shouting. "Jarvis! Jarvis! It's me! It's Tony!" And all but punching the glass, looking desperately at his reflection? Steve does not know… for all he knows the mirror or what looked to be a mirror, was nothing but a giant camera recording their every move.

For a long time, which could have been decades and not the mere minutes that passed, the workshop was silent; nothing can be heard other than Mr. Stark's soft pleas… centuries, of silence that made Steve shift in his place as he noticed how cold the workshop was becoming every second that passed before.

"…Sir?"

The voice returned once more as he stated this word, and Steve couldn't help but not the astonishment coming from the voice as he all but whispered that one word that made Mr. Stark sag in relief as he leaned his head on the mirror, letting out a sob; Steve couldn't help but shift, feeling awkward as the scene took place in front of him, not knowing what he is to do.

"They… Miss Potts told me you have… expired… I did not know what to do when she continued to refuse to believe me when I told her you were here… so… so I put us to sleep…"

Was what the voice said, the words causing Steve to still and gaze at the mirror with mixed feelings and confusion, not knowing if he should feel sympathy for the voice he cannot see, or go into his Captain mood to try and question 'Jarvis' maybe ask him about what he knew of Hydra and the likes… speaking of… who was 'Jarvis' to begin with? "It's OK… I know… I forgive you…" Mr. Stark whispered, looking like he was on the verge of crying once more, and Steve couldn't help but feel like he was witnessing something he has no right to see, which did nothing but cause discomfort.

"Who is Jarvis?" Steve finally decided to ask after what felt like years, his words causing Mr. Stark to blink and turn to him as if finally realizing that he wasn't alone. "I remember you mentioning him when I found you, but…" Who was he? Or more accurately what was he? Left unsaid as Steve gazed at Tony, who stood up on shaky legs and wiped his face from the residual tears.

"My AI… Artificial Intelligence… I made him when I was younger…" Mr. Stark finally said, sniffling as he came toward Steve, who couldn't help but notice the relieved and happy smile on Mr. Stark's face, causing his muscles to relax, even when the frown on his face didn't lessen at the prospect that the 'Artificial Intelligence' that Mr. Stark talked about didn't help him escape or anything; it seemed that Mr. Stark knew what he was thinking, or at least had an idea about what he was thinking because he said not a few moments later. "If Hydra got their hands on him, then there is no stopping them, they would have succeeded in their plans without even needing me to stay alive… so I told him to deactivate himself until I can escape…" That caused Steve to furrow his brows and look at the one-way mirror that no doubt hides the brain of the AI, Mr. Stark was talking about, and he wondered what Hydra would have done to the world if they managed to get their hands over Mr. Stark work as the man told him to

Much of what Mr. Stark said and what he was doing wasn't adding up and was striking Steve as odd, causing him to bite his tongue before looking around the dirty workshop; question after question invaded his mind, without being able to find the answer to it… like why Mr. Stark was trapped here without making a move to run away? Was it so that he would hide his AI and work better from Hydra? Or was there some foul play that Steve couldn't grasp its motive at the moment; to top it all how did Mr. Stark manage to live here with no signs of the bare minimum essentials that a person needed to be alive such as water and food? Steve can see another smaller door in the corner not that far from the glass doors so he assumed that was the bathroom, and from how thin and frail Mr. Stark was Steve can assume Hydra was not only torturing him but starving him for extended periods of time, but he was sure they were at least keeping taps on Mr. Stark; watching him from afar by cameras, and recording his every move while also having to send in someone to check on him every now and then… if so, why didn't Hydra came running and try to arrest or kill Steve and take Mr. Stark away to hide their tracks? Why didn't they move when Mr. Stark no doubt was calling him every night at 3:33 am for the past year?

"Is… isn't Hydra recording us?" Steve decided to ask, instead of voicing his suspicions, looking around the workshop as if trying to spot the hidden cameras and bugs, narrowing his eyes and trying to see through the dirt and clutter lettering around the place, only to come empty-handed.

"They couldn't risk it after the first time I tried to run." Mr. Stark said after what felt like decades, his words gaining Steve's attention as he returned back toward the man who was looking at his leg that held the monitor. "They knew any kind of evidence taken be it by audio or by a camera, I would find a way to post it to the outside world, no matter how they boast about their secure lines… after a close call, they took all the cameras and bugs away, put the monitor on me, and told me that it would release a lethal poison if I dared to take a step outside of the workshop or if I told anyone about me… they said that they would know if I tried to do something… that Pepper and Rhodey would suffer the consequences… that… that they would kill him…" Hearing that, cause Steve to bite the inside of his leg and gaze at the monitor, dread filling him up the longer he gazed at the piece of metal in front of him… how was he going to get Mr. Stark outside of the workshop and save him if he can't leave this room alive?

How can Steve get Mr. Stark out? How can he save him from Hydra who seemed to have been coming here and torturing Mr. Stark under his nose for months? How can Steve walk through the halls knowing that the man was trapped here, forced into isolation unless he complied and made weapons for their enemies? "What am I to do?" Steve whispered, unaware that he said the words out loud until Mr. Stark touched his hand gently to get his attention.

"You find him…" Mr. Stark whispered, his words returning Steve back to reality and reminding him that there was someone dear to Mr. Stark's heart being held in Hydra's clutches. "Jarvis is back online… with him here I can hack into Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files and get the proof of their corruption... everything… you just need to find him and get him back to safety… away from anyone wishing him harm… you have to save him before his time runs out and they kill him… his time is already running out…" That made Steve's breath leave him as he gazed at Mr. Stark's eyes, which held so much fear and terror.

"Who is he? What does he look like?" Steve asked, feeling his heart skip several beats as his mind tried to come up with plan after plan to save the person Mr. Stark entrusted him with… as soon as the man in front of him tell him about the person that Hydra was holding hostage and seeming to plan on killing, Steve would race to find him and save him.

"You would know when you see him…" That was what Mr. Stark whispered before he let Steve go, looking around before turning to the mirror and walking to it, leaving Steve gazing at the man with astonishment, mouth dropped open as he gazed at the man. "You should return to your room before they come…" Steve was about to protest at those words only for Tony to shake his head and give him a sad smile. "If anyone knew about you here… they would kill him… I can't run the risk of us being discovered; I have Jarvis now, which meant I can work behind Hydra without them suspecting me, and you can find and rescue him without anyone realizing what you know." Steve's jaws click from how hard he was grinding his teeth as he held back his protests… for what seemed like hours, the two stared at each other before for a few minutes, maybe hours, before Steve had enough and the two of them started arguing; Steve trying to make Mr. Stark see sense and come with him, while the man was telling Steve how dangerous his plan was not only for him but everyone who would know… hours of the two arguing back and forth and back and forth before Mr. Stark snapped, all but crying as he told Steve that his plan would do nothing but kill him and destroy the chance they have of ever defeating Hydra, rending Steve silent.

"I am returning back tomorrow…" That was the only thing Steve could say through his grinding teeth, hating himself as he backed down and was going to leave the tortured man alone with no one to help him or defend him if Hydra ever came to check on him. When all was said and done, and with Mr. Stark giving Steve the layout for the mansion they were in; Steve was once again back in his room, pacing around as he felt like ripping his hair off, his body felt like it held too much restless energy for him to go to sleep this night. When Steve went to take his phone as he prepared to run until he was tired enough to sleep, he froze in his place when his phone screen lit up showing him the time…

It was 3:33 am…

That morning, Steve was flabbergasted; sitting at the breakfast table while looking at his untouched coffee with a dazed and confused look, not knowing what to make of the events of earlier that day, or if everything that took place was nothing but his tired imagination cooking an impossible scenario to bring the dead back to life. The chair in front of him moved, causing Steve to blink and snap out of his daze to look at Thor, who was carrying a plate overfilled with pop tarts in one hand while the other carried a jug of coffee, a sight that brought a smile to Steve's face.

"Good morn, Steven!" Thor said as he started eating his pop tarts, offering Steve some; Steve just smiled, declining the offer while thanking Thor, gazing at his friend in concern when he noticed the dark rings under his eyes and the disheveled state the prince of Asgard sporting; even Thor's usually loud shut of 'Good morn' was dimmed in a way. A fact that made Steve worry about what happened to his friend or if something happened to his home.

"Are you OK?" Steve finally dared to say after he saw Thor's eyes darting around the kitchen, his action causing Steve to feel worried as he felt his body unconsciously tensing to prepare for a fight. His words seemed to snap Thor out of the dark place he seemed to throw himself in as he turned to Steve with a nervous look on his face. "Thor… did something happen?" Steve decided to ask, wanting to help his friend any way he can (The only person Steve would dare to call a friend and not hide his true self from like he did all others… maybe because he was just like Steve, pretending to be what he wasn't to abase the people around him and reign his actions and behavior so to not be considered a threat) his hand coming to touch Thor's as he gave him a concerned look.

"I do not know Steven…" Thor finally said, pushing his food to the side and letting out a tired sigh, informing Steve of how distressed his friend truly was that he discarded his meal when Thor wouldn't let go of his pop tarts even if New York was under attack (Which happened once, something that everyone on the team never let Thor live down) "…But last night, I felt something… off…" Thor started, his brows furrowed as he seemed to try and concentrate even more before he turned to Steve once more. "Like something should have not happened had taken a place…" That made Steve frown, wondering about his friend's intuition about… but then he remembered yesterday and the phone screen displaying the time and he paused…

"Do you think…?" Steve started but then paused, not knowing what to say to his friend without telling him about what happened earlier that day, and how he found Mr. Stark being held hostage in his workshop… should Steve tell Thor? Steve was sure that Thor have nothing to do with Hydra considering that he was from another planet (Or realm as Thor liked to correct) and most of the time he doesn't care about earth's politics and the government's grasp for power, but knowing Thor, the man doesn't have a subtle bone in his body, and that as soon as Steve tell him his dilemma, Thor would try to help only to end up hurt. "Do you think it has anything to do with magic?" Steve ended up asking, instead of voicing his concern and the lines of thinking his brain chose to go through and the many contingency plans he was already coming up with.

"No… not magic… something else… something more…" Thor frowned, looking more frustrated as the seconds passed and the word on the tip of his tongue refused to make itself known. "Something more serious, I do not know… I did not sense malice; the presence was too weak for me to sense anything but… fear… an indescribable amount of fear… that woke me up, feeling like I was choking…" Steve swallowed at that, his mind drifting to the first moment he saw Mr. Stark… the fear and terror as the man all but throw himself under the table, begging not to be hurt… the fear of his loved ones being killed by Hydra… and the feared of the kidnapped child (Maybe adult? Steve doesn't know for Mr. Stark refused to tell him) being killed any second now if he did not comply.

Before Steve can say anything else to reassure his friend, and maybe ask him a few more questions that no doubt needed to be answered, the sound of the door opening and slamming shut, cause both Thor and Steve to still in their place, whatever they were about to talk too was put in the back burner as they watched from the corner of their eyes how Natasha and Clint came sauntering into the kitchen. With that Thor returned to his food and Steve returned back to his coffee, both of them were uncomfortable by the presence of the rest of their teammates to continue their talk; it wasn't that they didn't trust their teammates or didn't consider them… sort of friends… it was because their teammates considered Thor and Steve to be not only dumb blonds who can't find their ways out of the paper bag but also a potential risk if left unsupervised… and maybe that's why Thor and Steve didn't make an offer to truly befriend any of their teammates other than each other… and maybe Dr. Banner when the man wasn't working himself into a panic attack about becoming the Hulk in their presence.

"Hey, Thor, Cap!" Clint greeted, going directly toward the fridge and muttering 'Cola' under his breath, humming as he rummage through the fridge, not so surprisingly, getting everything out and putting it on the counter but forgetting about his drink of choice that he had been mumbling about for the last few seconds.

"Ah! Friend Clint, Lady Natasha, I am so happy that the two of you are back!" Thor exclaimed, grinning widely, if a little bit strained, not that Romanov and Clint seemed to catch on it as the two of them nodded and got busy preparing their food. Steve just took a sip from his now-frozen coffee, trying not to frown harshly as he studied the pair; tension taking hold of him the longer he gazed at the two of them.

"I thought you wouldn't be back for another week…" Steve said cautiously, trying desperately to stop his hands from clutching the ceramic mug tightly and breaking it into many pieces; his mind was screaming at him the longer he gazed at the two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., reminding him of Mr. Stark's words of S.H.I.E.L.D. being Hydra.

Natasha hummed, taking a seat beside Steve and putting her plate and cup of tea on the table before saying. "The mission was easy, took less time than we expect…" Before biting into her sandwich; her words caused Steve to tense but nevertheless took a sip from his coffee so he can have something to do with his hands… how coincidental that as soon as Steve made contact with Mr. Stark, two agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who were on three weeks extended mission returned back on the same day? The possibilities made Steve hold onto his anger and stop himself from jumping at Natasha and Clint and doing something stupid like accusing them of being Hydra and interrogating them until he gets all the answers he wanted.

The concerned look Thor was sending his way, informed Steve that he was holding into his anger poorly and that if he did not control himself, Clint and Natasha would notice him acting strange any minute now. "Yah! You should have seen the other guys, Cap! They were crying mother when we were done with them!" Clint said loudly throughout his full month, chewing and pointing his sandwich everywhere as he talked.

"That's admirable, friend Clint!" Thor said after swallowing his bite, glancing at Steve every now and then when he had gone quiet, his praise seemed to perk Clint up as the archer took it as his cue to start talking once more, going into more details about the mission the two spies were sent for.

"If you excuse me… I need to go to my room…" Steve managed to say after a while, standing up and going to the sink, dumping the rest of his coffee before washing the mug; trying to ignore Natasha's piercing gaze on his back… ignoring how he wanted to take the knife on the drying rack and attack… it wasn't long before Steve managed to gather himself enough to turn and leave the kitchen, all but running to his room as his heart pounded into his chest at the thought of him and his enemy living together under the same roof and eating the same meals for over a year now…

Steve couldn't help feeling sick…

Hours, that's how long Steve managed to stay in his room, holding into his screams and holding back from bunching and breaking everything in his room by sheer will; instead of destroying everything in sight. Steve managed to distract himself by preparing a backpack full of supplies; non-perishable food, bottles of water, a few changes of clothes, blankets, a sleeping bag, a medical kit, and a few other essentials. Planning on taking them to Mr. Stark, mainly to see him and look after him, now that no doubt Hydra had come to check in on him and see what he was doing.

The knock on his door, caused Steve to still be in his place, his hand going automatically to the pocket knife he planned on giving to Mr. Stark upon seeing him. Slowly, so very slowly, Steve walked toward the door; clutching the knife in his hand as he hide it behind his back before opening the door; to his not-so-surprise, Steve saw Natasha waiting for him outside of his room with a concerned look on her face.

"Natasha…" Steve said, not moving from his place and not allowing Natasha to enter, causing the woman to tilt her head in confusion, but didn't press the issue; deciding to stay outside as she tried to study Steve. Something that Steve let her do, considering that he was doing the same, trying to think of why was Natasha here if it wasn't to threaten him, take him into custody, or try to manipulate him into Hydra's side.

"Are you OK, Steve?" Natasha said instead, her words causing Steve to clutch his knife tightly but nod his head and try to give the woman a smile, which looked too much like a grimace. "You kind of looked out of it this morning…" Natasha said, narrowing her eyes when Steve didn't answer her at first.

"I'm… fine… nightmares…" That's what Steve ended up saying, looking like he swallowed a lemon no doubt, but his words caused Natasha's eyes to soften a little bite as she gazed at him. "I will be fine I just needed to gather myself," Steve said, trying to subtly close the door and prevent Natasha's straying eyes from falling on the bed that held the backpack and everything in it.

"Steve…" Natasha said slowly, looking doubtful as she took a step closer, causing Steve's hackles to rise he almost took the knife and attacked Natasha if it wasn't for her phone ringing, causing both Natasha and Steve to frown. "Fury?" Natasha asked when she answered the phone, looking uncertain, frowning harshly, and taking her phone away from her ear, looking at it in confusion.

"Did something happen?" Steve asked, gazing at Natasha and then at the phone, taking in how she was scowling as she looked at the phone and then glanced at Steve; no doubt was thinking who was important enough to pursue.

"No… nothing…" Natasha ended up saying, pocketing her phone and giving Steve a concerned look before telling him. "Let's talk when I returned from, the H.Q., OK?" Her words summoned a slow nod from Steve who waited until Natasha was away to close the door to his room, frowning harshly as he returned to pack the stuff on his bed…

Steve couldn't help but feel something off about the call…

So what do you think?

Finally! An update!

So… I kinda forgot about this story to be honest; mainly because I was waiting for inspiration to strike… and it did!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Read and Review

And tell me what you think…

Nazaki-Sama